Ball-bearing.



PATENTED APR. 3, 1906.

F. LOEFPLER. ^BALL BEARING. APPLICATION FILED AUG.19, 1903.

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UNITED sTATns PATENT OFFICEo BALL-BEARING- Specification of LettersYatent.

Patented April 3, 1906.

Application filed August 19, 1903. Serial llm 169.965.

To all whom, t 'nm/y concern:

Be it known that I, FRITZ LOEFFLER, a subject of the German Emperor,residing at New York, in the countyoi New York and State of New York,have invented Van Improvement in Ball-Bearings, of which the iollowingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a ball-bearing more especially devised toovercome Jfriction due to end thrust.

In accordance with this invention I employ a cage having peripheralrecesses in each of which is placed a ball, and these recesses areclosed by ball-tracks containing a series of balls that contact with thelarger ball, that I may hereinafter designate as the main ball. The mainball is of such diameter with relation to the cage and its recesses thatportions of the main ball will be exposed at each side of the cage tocontact simultaneously with two tracks, one of which in practice will beJfree to revolve, while the other may be stationary. This class ofbearing is desirable 'for use in connection with numerous mechanicalconstructions, and as exemplifying one use to which the bearing may beput I have chosen to illustrate the same. The main balls are shown asarranged to travel over tracks forming part of a bearing of theendthrust variety.

Figure 1 in section represents a cage containing end-thrust means`embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the ca e.

In one ractical form in which I have chosen to illustrate my novelbearing, A and B represent tracks forming parts of a bearing of usualconstruction Where endfthrust is to be provided for. The faces of thesetracks are so tapered with relation to each other that if prolongedtoward the axle forming part of the bearing said faces would intersect aline drawn through the longitudinal axis of the shaft. The cage O,containing the main balls CX has a series oi peripheral recesses C',through which the balls are entered in taking` their working positions,the diameter of the balls being in excess of the thickness of the cage,so that their peripheries project at each side said cage and contactwith said tracks across which they roll in a circular path concentric tothe longitudinal axis of the conical roller. In this construction thetracks exert a pressure on the main balls that tends to force themoutwardly away from the longitud inal axis of the conical roller, butthis tendency to move in that direction, as well as the outward movementof the balls due to centrifugal action, is resisted by a series of-small balls a, that constitute antiiriction means, said small ballsbeing contained in separate balltracks a inserted in the mouths or' therecesses C. The ball-tracks will be held in working position in the cageby a screw-plug a2. The ball-tracks will in practice have connected withthem some suitable ball-retainer, whereby the tracks may be removed fromthe cage without the balls escaping therefrom, I having shown in Fig. 2at 2 and 8 one 'form of such retainer. The inner circle of the cage nextthe journal of the conical roller is notched to receive a series ofballs b, and the -disk D has a portion d at its face presenting a planesurface to contact with said balls, While at the end oi. the conicalrollcr there is a circular rib b2, that is grooved to receive a secondset o1c balls 53X. In this way by the two sets of balls b and 53X thecage C will be antifrictionally sustained against movement at rightangles to the longitudinal axis of the conical roller with which itcoacts.

I may use, if considered necessary, balll tracks d in the bottom o'l'each recess entered by the main balls, said tracks containing a seriesof' auxiliary balls d2, as at the left Figs. l and 2. j

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s

1. In a thrust-bearing, a rotatable cage, a series ol main ballstherein, a series of balltracks in said cage, and a series of smallerballs in said ball-tracks contacting with said main balls.

2. In a thrust-bearing, a rotatable cage, a series of main ballstherein, a series of balltracks in said cage, and a series of smallballs in said ball-tracks contacting with said main balls, and means foradjusting said tracks.

3. In a thrust-bearing, a rotatable cage, a series o'l' main ballstherein having their peripheries exposed at the sides of said cage,plane-'faced tracks meeting said main balls at a tangent and over whichsaid balls roll in the rotation of said cave, a series of ball-trackslocated at the periphery of said cage and provided with balls contactingwith said main l balls and serving to resist the outward move- "n1/entof said rnain balls with relation to said ca e.

In a thrust-bearing, a rotatable cage, a series of main balls, a seriesof ball-tracks of different diameters and a series of balls in each ofsaid ball=tracks, said balls contacting With said main balls, the ballsin the track of least diameter being smaller than those in the largertrack.

5. A thrust-bearing comprising a cage, a series of main balls, a seriesof ball-tracks, and a series of smaller balls in said ball-tracls andcontacting With main balls, a series of balls located at the inner edgeof said cage, and additional balls to sustain the Weight of the cage andprevent the Weight of said cage from being carried Wholly by the ballsin said ball-tracks. o

6. A thrust-bearing comprising a cage, a series of main balls, a seriesof ball-tracks, 2o and a series of smaller balls in said ball-tracks andcontacting with main balls, tWo sets of ball-tracks and balls therein,said balls sustaining the main balls at opposite sides of a diameterthrough said main balls.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in thepresence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

FRITZ LOEFFLER.

Witnesses:

JULIUs A. PERKINS, EDWARD E. BRUCE,

